TOUGHNESS

Dad used to do ranch work for Ed in the bottom below the old gasoline plant in Wright City.

He would talk about getting there before daylight and sitting on the tractor cursing the sun for not rising so he could do his planned work for the day.

During one period, Dad was using Ed's ancient Massey Ferguson tractor to shred waist high weeds in a field. About the middle of the patch, Dad became engulfed in bumble bees that fogged out of a ground nest and completely shrouded the tractor and driver.

Now that old M-F diesel was powerful, but it don't take long to figger out that a tractor will not outrun a bumble bee. Wasn't nuthin' for Dad to do but jump from the tractor with it moving and "run for the hills" while flailing like a one armed man in a fistfight.

After about 100 yards on a sweltering humid day, Dad just laid down and waited to die. He later related that he didn't know if it would be heat stroke, heart attack, or bee stings, but he figgered the end was near either way.

After a bit, the bees decided to move away from Dad, so he sat up and took inventory. Course the tractor was still chugging along in granny gear with a diminishing number of bees attacking it.

Dad being Dad, he eventually walked down the tractor and got on it again. He then would ride the tractor till it was near the bee nest, get off it, and walk in a big circle to recapture his iron steed after the bees quit swarming it. Another words, he finished the job that he started.

Back at the casa, Dad sat outside in the sun while Lou used tweezers to pull the bee stingers from his scalp (about 30 as I recall).

There are any number of stories about how TOUGH my Dad was, but I reckon this one ranks up there near the top?